The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That will be all then from this contest. Plenty more sporting and cricketing action lined up though in the week ahead. You know where to catch all the latest updates - right here on Sportskeeda. For the moment, this is the duo of Karthik Raj and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. Thank you so much for joining us. Have a great week ahead. Buh-bye!
A hard fought win for the Unicorns unlike the first two games. But these are the kind of wins that uplift the spirits and confidence of a team in any case. Having won three on the bounce and given their home fans plenty of reason to believe that they might just go the distance this time around. As for MI New York, they need a win and quickly at that. It's not quite desperate territory but they wouldn't want to lose their way and end up having to play catch-up too early in the piece either.
Corey Anderson (San Francisco Unicorns captain): Incredible. We talked about it at the start to take three form here and turn it into a bit of a fortress. The way the guys have gone about their stuff has been unbelievably good. Gives us confidence going into the rest of the season in Dallas and Florida but this stadium has been fantastic. It's been above and beyond what anyone could have thought. (On the win) A massive statement I guess. Xav showed a lot of belief. He won us the game there. That's the beauty of the team we've got - we've got a lot of balance and depth. If we get those games where we go close and fall on the right side of it, we know we're in good form. (On Haris Rauf) He's been outstanding. He bowls the tough overs. He knows how to show up and what needs to be done. (On the fans) They've been brilliant. Since Day 1 they've turned up and this stadium has been rollicking. We're extremely thankful for all the work in producing this and we're extremely happy to be walking away with three wins. Can't wait to be back here next year.
Xavier Bartlett (Player of the Match): "You always give yourself a chance. Corey Anderson has played a lot of cricket, he calmed me down and Haris Rauf. Targeted Michael Bracewell's over and lucky that I could strike a few. Lucky that I got a few going tonight and this will give confidence. (About the experience of playing for the Unicorns) It has been amazing so far. So many familiar faces and to get into a team like this, it is a great learning experience. Pleased to be working with Shane Watson."
Xavier Bartlett has been named as the 'Player of the Match'.
Time for the Post-match Presentation!
Nicholas Pooran (MI New York Captain): "I felt like we were in the game, the par score was 175. Got ourselves into good positions but also lost wickets. As far as we have seen in cricket, the game is never over until it is over. Hassan Khan counter-attacked us and we were poor in phases. Need to look back on that."
9:48 PM local time (10:18 AM IST): San Francisco Unicorns beat MI New York by 3 wickets!
Xavier Bartlett 59* (25) | Haris Rauf 2/24 (4) Quinton de Kock 63 (38) | Naveen-ul-Haq 2/28 (4)
They've found a batting hero every single game. But who would have thought that it would be Xavier Bartlett - coming out of syllabus to put it colloquially - to snatch a famous victory for the San Francisco Unicorns, who complete their stretch of games at home with a 100 per cent record.
MI New York didn't have a massive score on the board per se and when Finn Allen got off to a flyer again in the first couple of overs, the signs looked ominous. But Naveen-ul-Haq outfoxed the Kiwi dasher with a slower one before Trent Boult joined the party. The duo wreaked havoc in the powerplay to reduce the Unicorns to rubble, before Ehsan Adil joined the party with a wicket off the last ball of the powerplay himself. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Cooper Connolly couldn't get going themselves and the Unicorns were in total disarray.
Tim Seifert took his time and knocked the ball around but with the asking rate rising, a counter-punch had to come. Hassan Khan duly delivered, powering along and clobbering Ehsan Adil for a couple of ridiculous sixes before Seifert also joined in on the act at the other end. Just like that, 60 runs came off a four-over period from overs 9 to 12 with Hassan clobbering the ball all around the park. Momentum had truly swung the Unicorns' way but that's when another twist followed as Hassan perished nicking a half-tracker and Seifert holed out himself.
It was the story of the game in so many ways. Just when the batters seemed to be ahead, wickets would fall against the run of play. The asking rate never got out of bounds but there was still work to be done with so many wickets lost. That's when Bartlett took charge, tearing into Michael Bracewell for three sixes and a four off his second over. Skipper Corey Anderson perished cheaply and while that could have brought the wheels off for the Unicorns, Bartlett showed his full range, taking Boult to the cleaners as well.
MINY surely didn't help their cause with a shoddy display of ground fielding. But they truly had no answers to Bartlett, who raised a maiden T20 half-century with a stunning display of power-hitting, holding a still base and letting his reach take over. Haris Rauf gave him good company towards the end and the game had the most apt end there could be when Bartlett swung Kieron Pollard over the fence. A third successive win then for last year's runners-up while the inaugural champions remain winless after two outings - stick around for the presentation...
And Bartlett seals it with a booming strike over cow corner! Such a fitting end to this contest and it caps one of the most incredible comebacks you will see in a chase. Take a bow, Xavier Bartlett! San Francisco Unicorns complete a hat-trick of wins!
19.1 Kieron Pollard to Xavier Bartlett, FETCH THAT POLLARD, SAYS XAVIER BARTLETT! Full and slow outside-off, Bartlett slogs it way over long-on for a maximum. This seals a sensational comeback win courtesy Xavier Bartlett's unbeaten 59-run knock. Three wins in three matches for San Francisco Unicorns at their home!
The field comes up.
More boos. But the scores are level.
19.1 Kieron Pollard to Xavier Bartlett, short and slow outside-off, Bartlett lets it go to the keeper. WIDE called.
Ah how about that? Pollard runs in but doesn't release the ball even as he goes through with his action. A few boos around the Oakland Colliseum - the home fans sure don't like it!
Pollard has done it in the past. But this is a stiff task altogether. Does he have a hat-trick in him?
Kieron Pollard [1.0-0-15-0] to bowl the final over of the game
Not quite, but he'll at least keep the strike. Just two runs needed off the final over and this has been nothing short of a remarkable chase. Is there one final twist pending though? MINY need to pull off a Houdini act and then some to even force a Super Over here!
19
overs
181/7score
1
1
1
2nb
4
1
1
runs
Xavier Bartlett*
53(24)
Haris Rauf
10(10)
Ehsan Adil
2/43
18.6 Ehsan Adil to Xavier Bartlett, short of a length outside-off, Bartlett slaps it to long-off for a single.
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Xavier Bartlett
*
Ehsan Adil
Video
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